Institute for Biblical & Theological Studies

General Information

Mission Statement

The Institute for Biblical & Theological Studies provides a strong biblical and theological foundation for all North Central University students and offers advanced biblical and theological training for those planning to pursue graduate study and/or vocational ministry.

Biblical and Theological Studies Major

Method, topics and distinctive eras of biblical and theological scholarship

Histories of Israel and the Church

Ancient Languages

Biblical & Theological Studies majors will choose one of three tracks:

The Biblical Studies track

The Biblical Languages track

The Theology track

Students in each track will demonstrate ability to interact with appropriate scholarship and write effectively in their area of focus, as identified in their chosen track.

Credentialing

For students interested in pursuing credentialed ministry within the Assemblies of God, the Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies also offers the opportunity to take all the courses suggested for ministerial preparation while completing a Biblical and Theological Studies major.

Biblical and Theological Studies Abroad

The Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies sponsors two study abroad options. Biblical and Theological Studies majors are especially encouraged to take advantage of these study abroad opportunities which are also available for all North Central students:

Ridley Hall - a Fall semester-long program to study Bible and theology at the University of Cambridge, England

Society for Bible and Theology

The student-led Society for Bible and Theology is for anyone who loves discussing issues relating to biblical studies or thinking through the theological implications of various ideas. Throughout the school year, the Society for Bible and Theology sponsors lunch-time lectures, game nights, outings and other get togethers. For more information, visit the Society's page.

IBATS on Facebook

Students, Faculty and Alumni of NCU gather at the NCU Biblical Studies Society group on Facebook. You can join the group to get news, see what others are doing, hear about openings for jobs or studies or post about exciting things God is teaching you through the Bible and Theology. Join us!

Weekly Student-led Discussion Group

Who: Biblical and Theological Studies majors

When: 4-5pm each Thursday during the Semester

Where: the IBATS office- Miller Hall 248

Come join us for snacks and lively student-led discussions. It is a great way to get to know other BATS majors and support each other in our desire to grow both academically and spiritually in our knowledge of the Bible and theology. Past discussions have ranged from things like: the gifts of the Spirit and revival, the I AM statements from John's Gospel, denominationalism, Church history, and how to hold together NCU's vision for both ministry and academics.

Career Placement

Events

The Annual First Things Last Conference is a chapel series and related events that are sponsored by the Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies.

The dates for First Things Last 2014 are set for February 18-20, 2014. Please check back for more details.

First Things Last 2013 featured renowned Pentecostal historian Dr. Vinson Synan. Over the course of the three-day series, Dr. Synan gave an overview of the roots of Pentecostalism, the Azusa Street Revival and the Charismatic Renewal. He used rare footage, extensive research, interviews and his own personal experiences to give NCU students a solid foundation for understanding the Pentecostal movement as a whole. Dr. Synan also spoke in numerous classes, at a lunch for Pentecostal and Charismatic pastors, as well as a late-night student event called "Tongues-on-Fire Pentecostalism" where he spoke specifically about Spirit baptism and the gift of tongues. His depth of experience and genuineness were a blessing to the whole NCU community.

The name "First Things Last" was chosen to emphasize that it is the things of primary importance - the "first things" - that last.

Sponsored by the Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies, the Laboratory is a monthly lunch for Assemblies of God ministers, NCU faculty and other interested leaders featuring a guest speaker on various topics and discusions in a lively, safe and off-the-record environment.

The Laboratory's charter explains its purpose this way:

"The life of a minister can be lonely, and increasingly Assemblies of God ministers are raising impassioned pleas for more ministerial fellowship and open, honest discussion. While no one denies that ministers are responsible for their public teaching or the leadership of their congregations, many seem to be crying out for some venue in which they can share their questions, hopes, half-baked ideas and theories, etc. with fellow ministers in a safe, non-political setting." The Laboratory is our attempt to fill that need.

The dates for the Laboratory for the academic year 2013-2014 are as follows, all the dates are on a Thursday, from 11am-1pm.

9/12/2013

10/10/2013

11/14/2013

12/12/2013

2/13/2014

3/13/2014

4/10/2014

All Laboratory events will take place in Phillips Hall's 117 unless otherwise noted.

Please RSVP to Katy Wehr (612-343-3767 or khwehr@northcentral.edu) 24 hours prior to event date if you would like a hot lunch at $4 (lunch includes entree, salad, cookies, and drink).

If you would like to be included in the mailing list to receive description of each Laboratory and Speaker as the date approach, please email Katy Wehr at khwehr@northcentral.edu.